I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing Deputies Naughten and McGrath and me to raise this important matter and the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Kitt, for taking the debate. Like many of the employees who learned that they would lose their jobs at the William Hill betting centre in Athlone, I, like my constituency colleague, was extremely shocked by the news. There had been a number of significant tax changes recently in the betting and levying areas which I thought would be helpful in securing such employment and this added to my sense of shock. However, that was not to be in this case.
The William Hill operation employed approximately 150 permanent and 150 temporary staff. The loss of 300 jobs is a major blow to the workers involved as well as the general economy of Athlone and its hinterland. The telebetting centre processed bets for customers in the United Kingdom and continental Europe and the punter who placed a bet in this fashion avoided having to pay high UK betting taxes. The centre only opened in January 2000. At the time it was viewed as a significant coup for the region that a major player in the betting industry such as William Hill chose the midlands and the move was welcomed by many of us at the time.
The British Government has reacted to the incentive for bookmakers to locate in Ireland by abolishing the 9% betting tax for punters from 1 October and imposing a 5% tax on their cumulative revenue. The staff of the centre will continue to work in the short term, but that does not soften the huge blow that the dedicated and diligent staff of the William Hill centre have suffered. Many of them have mortgages, loans and other commitments similar to thousands of workers throughout Ireland.
I am concerned, however, that a simple change in fiscal policy in a neighbouring jurisdiction could have such a significant adverse impact on the jobs of workers in this jurisdiction. I take seriously the comments of Stewart Kenny who has warned that three times the number of job losses that occurred in Athlone may well happen in the near future without reform of our betting tax regime. I ask the Minister of State to use every agency at his disposal, including the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, to find a new employer for the centre. It is an ultra-modern facility located beside a good transport network and I have every confidence that if the political will is there, a new tenant can be found and these workers and Athlone town can recover from this blow.
